1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a method and system for the automatic alteration of a display of user selectable menu options within a data processing system and in particular to a method and system for the association of a counter with each user selectable menu option within a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system within a data processing system for the incrementing of a counter associated with each user selectable menu option in response to each selection of the menu option by a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
In known computer systems graphic menus are provided which include menu options that a user may select in order to perform various tasks such as creating or opening files, deleting files, or changing the format of a document. A user typically selects a menu by utilizing a mouse or other input device. Once a menu is selected menu options included within that menu are displayed. Often there are more menu options to be displayed than space within a computer display screen to display them. In these situations a portion of the menu options is displayed. The user is permitted to scroll through the options causing different portions of the menu options to be displayed until the user finds the desired menu option.
Some known systems permit a user to delete menu options which are not frequently used from future displays of the menu while others permit a user to predetermine which menu options will be displayed. In some of these systems a usage history is maintained and displayed to the user. A user may also change the display order of menus so that menus which contain more advanced menu options do not appear to the user who is utilizing the basic menu options.
It should therefore be apparent that a need exists for a method and system for automatically altering a display of user selectable menu options without a direct action by a user.